Method of manufacturing a thin film transistor array panel

ABSTRACT

A method of manufacturing a thin film transistor array panel is provided, which includes: forming a gate line on a substrate; depositing a gate insulating layer and a semiconductor layer in sequence on the gate line; depositing a lower conductive film and an upper conductive film on the semiconductor layer; photo-etching the upper conductive film, the lower conductive film, and the semiconductor layer; depositing a passivation layer; photo-etching the passivation layer to expose first and second portions of the upper conductive film; removing the first and the second portions of the upper conductive film to expose first and second portions of the lower conductive film; forming a pixel electrode and a pair of redundant electrodes on the first and the second portions of the lower conductive film, respectively, the redundant electrodes exposing a part of the second portion of the lower conductive film; removing the exposed part of the second portion of the lower conductive film to expose a portion of the semiconductor layer; and forming a columnar spacer on the exposed portion of the semiconductor layer.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 10/926,719 filed Aug. 26, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,119,368, whichclaims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No.10-2003-0060011, filed on Aug. 28, 2003, both of which are incorporatedby reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a thin film transistor array panel anda manufacturing method thereof.

(b) Description of the Related Art

A liquid crystal display (LCD) is one of the most widely used flat paneldisplays since it is lightweight and occupies less space thanconventional cathode ray tube (CRT) displays. An LCD generally includesa liquid crystal (LC) layer that is interposed between a pair of panelsincluding field-generating electrodes such as pixel electrodes and acommon electrode. The LC layer is subjected to an electric fieldgenerated by the field-generating electrodes and variations in the fieldstrength change the molecular orientation of the LC layer. For example,upon application of an electric field, the molecules of the LC layerchange their orientation to change polarization of incident light.Appropriately arranged polarizers partially or fully block the light,creating gray or dark areas that can represent desired images.

One panel for the LCD generally includes a plurality of pixelelectrodes, a plurality of thin film transistors (TFTs) for controllingsignals to be applied to the pixel electrodes, a plurality of gate linestransmitting control signals for controlling the TFTs, and a pluralityof data lines transmitting data voltages to be supplied to the pixelelectrodes. The other panel generally includes a common electrodedisposed on an entire surface thereof.

The TFT array panel including the TFTs includes several conductive filmsand insulting films. The gate lines, the data lines, and the pixelelectrodes are formed of different films and they are separated byinsulating films and sequentially arranged from bottom to top.

The TFT array panel is manufactured by several steps of film depositionand photolithography steps. Accordingly, it is important to obtainstable elements using a minimum process steps.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A motivation of the present invention is to solve the problems of theconventional art.

A method of manufacturing a thin film transistor array panel isprovided, which includes: forming a gate line on a substrate; depositinga gate insulating layer and a semiconductor layer in sequence on thegate line; depositing a lower conductive film and an upper conductivefilm on the semiconductor layer; photo-etching the upper conductivefilm, the lower conductive film, and the semiconductor layer; depositinga passivation layer; photo-etching the passivation layer to expose firstand second portions of the upper conductive film; removing the first andthe second portions of the upper conductive film to expose first andsecond portions of the lower conductive film; forming a pixel electrodeand a pair of redundant electrodes on the first and the second portionsof the lower conductive film, respectively, the redundant electrodesexposing a part of the second portion of the lower conductive film;removing the exposed part of the second portion of the lower conductivefilm to expose a portion of the semiconductor layer; and forming acolumnar spacer on the exposed portion of the semiconductor layer.

The photo-etching of the passivation layer may include: exposing thefirst portion of the upper conductive film and a portion of the gateinsulating layer adjacent to the first portion. The exposed portion ofthe gate insulating layer may be covered with the pixel electrode alongwith the first portion of the lower conductive film.

The photo-etching of the passivation layer may further include: exposinga third portion of the upper conductive film. The removal of the firstand the second portions of the upper conductive film may include:removing the third portion of the upper conductive film to expose athird portion of the lower conductive film.

The gate line may include a lower film and an upper film. Thephoto-etching of the passivation layer may further include: etching thegate insulating layer to expose a portion of the upper film of the gateline. The removal of the first and the second portions of the upperconductive film may include: removing the exposed portion of the upperfilm of the gate line to expose a portion of the lower film of the gateline.

The method may further include: forming a contact assistant on the thirdportion of the lower conductive film and the exposed portion of thelower film of the gate line.

The upper film of the gate line may include the same material as theupper conductive film. The upper film of the gate line and the upperconductive film may include Cr and the lower film of the gate line andthe lower conductive film may include Al or Al—Nd alloy.

The pixel electrode and the redundant electrodes may include IZO.

The formation of a pixel electrode and a pair of redundant electrodesand the removal of the exposed part of the second portion of the lowerconductive film may be simultaneously performed.

The formation of a pixel electrode and a pair of redundant electrodesand the removal of the exposed part of the second portion of the lowerconductive film may be performed under the same etch condition.

The semiconductor layer may include an intrinsic film and an extrinsicfilm, and the method may further include: removing the exposed portionof the extrinsic film after removing the second portion of the lowerconductive film.

A thin film transistor array panel is provided, which includes: asubstrate; a gate line formed on the substrate and including lower andupper films; a gate insulating layer formed on the gate line; asemiconductor layer formed on the gate insulating layer; source anddrain electrodes formed on the semiconductor layer, disposed oppositeeach other with respect to a first portion of the semiconductor layer,and including lower and upper films having edges that disposed adjacentto the first portion of the semiconductor layer and do not coincide witheach other; a passivation layer formed on the source and the drainelectrodes and having a first contact hole exposing a portion of thedrain electrode and an opening exposing the first portion of thesemiconductor layer; and a pixel electrode formed on the passivationlayer and contacting the drain electrode through the first contact hole.

The thin film transistor array panel may further include first andsecond redundant electrodes disposed on the source and the drainelectrodes, respectively, and including the same layer as the pixelelectrode.

The opening may further expose portions of the lower films of the sourceand the drain electrodes.

The first and the second redundant electrodes may contact the exposedportions of the lower films of the source and the drain electrodes,respectively. The first and the second redundant electrodes may have atleast an edge that coincides with an edge of the exposed portions of thelower films of the source and the drain electrodes, respectively.

The opening may have at least an edge covered by the first or the secondredundant electrodes.

The first contact hole may expose a portion of the lower film of thedrain electrode and a portion of the gate insulating layer adjacentthereto. The upper film of the drain electrode may have at least an edgethat coincides with an edge of the first contact hole.

The thin film transistor array panel may further include an insulatordisposed on the exposed first portion of the semiconductor layer. Theinsulator may include a columnar spacer.

The lower films of the source and the drain electrodes may include Crand the lower films of source and the drain electrodes may include Al.The pixel electrode comprises IZO.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more apparent by describingembodiments thereof in detail with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is an exemplary layout view of a TFT array panel according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are sectional views of the TFT array panel shown in FIG.1 taken along the lines IIa-IIa′ and IIb-IIb′, respectively;

FIG. 3 is a layout view of a TFT array panel shown in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2Bin the first step of a manufacturing method thereof according to anembodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are sectional views of the TFT array panel shown in FIG.3 taken along the lines IVa-IVa′ and IVb-IVb′, respectively;

FIG. 5 is a layout view of the TFT array panel in the step following thestep shown in FIGS. 3-4B;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are sectional views of the TFT array panel shown in FIG.5 taken along the lines VIa-VIa′ and VIb-VIb′, respectively;

FIG. 7 is a layout view of the TFT array panel in the step following thestep shown in FIGS. 5-6B;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are sectional views of the TFT array panel shown in FIG.7 taken along the lines VIIIa-VIIIa′ and VIIIb-VIIIb′, respectively;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are sectional views of the TFT array panel shown in FIG.7 taken along the lines VIIIa-VIIIa′ and VIIIb-VIIIb′, respectively, andillustrate the step following the step shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B;

FIG. 10 is a layout view of the TFT array panel in the step followingthe step shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are sectional views of the TFT array panel shown inFIG. 10 taken along the lines XIa-XIa′ and XIb-XIb′, respectively; and

FIGS. 12A and 12B are sectional views of the TFT array panel shown inFIG. 10 taken along the lines XIa-XIa′ and XIb-XIb′, respectively, andillustrate the step following the step shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodimentsof the invention are shown. The present invention may, however, beembodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limitedto the embodiments set forth herein.

In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films and regions areexaggerated for clarity. Like numerals refer to like elementsthroughout. It will be understood that when an element such as a layer,film, region or substrate is referred to as being “on” another element,it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may alsobe present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being“directly on” another element, there are no intervening elementspresent.

Now, TFT array panels and manufacturing methods thereof according toembodiments of the present invention will be described with reference tothe accompanying drawings.

A TFT array panel for an LCD will be described in detail with referenceto FIGS. 1, 2A and 2B.

FIG. 1 is an exemplary layout view of a TFT array panel according to anembodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2A and 2B are sectionalviews of the TFT array panel shown in FIG. 1 taken along the linesIIa-IIa′ and IIb-IIb′, respectively.

A plurality of gate lines 121 for transmitting gate signals are formedon an insulating substrate 110. Each gate line 121 extends substantiallyin a transverse direction and it includes a plurality of portionsprojecting downward to form a plurality of gate electrodes 124 and anexpanded end portion 129 having a large area for contact with anotherlayer or an external device.

The gate lines 121 include two films having different physicalcharacteristics, a lower film and an upper film. The upper film ispreferably made of low resistivity metal including Al containing metalsuch as Al and Al alloy for reducing signal delay or voltage drop in thegate lines 121. On the other hand, the lower film is preferably made ofmaterial such as Cr, Mo, Mo alloy such as MoW, Ta and Ti, which has goodphysical, chemical, and electrical contact characteristics with othermaterials such as indium tin oxide (ITO) and indium zinc oxide (IZO).Good examples of combination of the lower film material and the upperfilm material are Cr and Al and Cr and Al—Nd alloy, which are etchedunder different etch conditions. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, the lower and theupper films of the gate electrodes 124 are indicated by referencenumerals 124 p and 124 q, respectively, and the lower and the upperfilms of the end portions 129 are indicated by reference numerals 129 pand 129 q, respectively. Portions of the upper film 129 q of the endportions 129 of the gate lines 121 are removed to expose the underlyingportions of the lower films 129 p and thus there is at least an edge ofthe upper film 129 q disposed on the lower film 129 p.

However, the gate lines 121 may have a single layer or triple or morelayers.

In addition, the lateral sides of the gate lines 121 are inclinedrelative to a surface of the substrate 110, and the inclination anglethereof ranges about 30-80 degrees.

A gate insulating layer 140 preferably made of silicon nitride (SiNx) isformed on the gate lines 121.

A plurality of semiconductor stripes 151 preferably made of hydrogenatedamorphous silicon (abbreviated to “a-Si”) are formed on the gateinsulating layer 140. Each semiconductor stripe 151 extendssubstantially in the longitudinal direction and has a plurality ofprojections 154 branched out toward the gate electrodes 124.

A plurality of ohmic contact stripes and islands 161 and 165 preferablymade of silicide or n+ hydrogenated a-Si heavily doped with n typeimpurity are formed on the semiconductor stripes 151. Each ohmic contactstripe 161 has a plurality of projections 163, and the projections 163and the ohmic contact islands 165 are located in pairs on theprojections 154 of the semiconductor stripes 151.

The lateral sides of the semiconductor stripes 151 and the ohmiccontacts 161 and 165 are inclined relative to a surface of the substrate110, and the inclination angles thereof are preferably in a range ofabout 30-80 degrees.

A plurality of data lines 171 and a plurality of drain electrodes 175are formed on the ohmic contacts 161 and 165.

The data lines 171 for transmitting data voltages extend substantiallyin the longitudinal direction and intersect the gate lines 121. Eachdata line 171 includes an expansion 179 having a larger area for contactwith another layer or an external device.

A plurality of branches of each data line 171, which project toward thedrain electrodes 175, form a plurality of source electrodes 173. Eachdrain electrode 175 includes one linear end portion disposed on a gateelectrode 124 and partially enclosed by a source electrode 173 having alarge area for contact with another layer and the other expanded endportion having a large area for contact with another layer. A gateelectrode 124, a source electrode 173, and a drain electrode 175 alongwith a projection 154 of a semiconductor stripe 151 form a TFT having achannel formed in the projection 154 disposed between the sourceelectrode 173 and the drain electrode 175.

The data lines 171 and the drain electrodes 175 also include a lowerfilm 171 p and 175 p and an upper film 171 q and 175 q located thereon.Good examples of combination of the lower film material and the upperfilm material are Cr and Al and Cr and Al—Nd alloy, which are etchedunder different etch conditions. In FIGS. 2A and 2B, the lower and theupper films of the source electrodes 173 are indicated by referencenumerals 173 p and 173 q, respectively, and the lower and the upperfilms of the end portions 179 are indicated by reference numerals 179 pand 179 q, respectively. Some portions of the lower film 173 p of thesource electrodes 173 and some portions of the lower film 175 p of thelinear end portions of the drain electrodes 175, which are disposedaround the channels of the TFTs, are exposed. In addition, portions ofthe lower film 175 p of the expanded end portions of the drainelectrodes 175 and portions of the lower film 179 p of the end portions179 of the data lines 171 are also exposed and thus there is at least anedge of the upper film 175 q/179 q disposed on the lower film 175 p/179p.

Like the gate lines 121, the data lines 171 and the drain electrodes 175have tapered lateral sides relative to a surface of the substrate 110,and the inclination angles thereof range about 30-80 degrees.

The ohmic contacts 161 and 165 are interposed only between theunderlying semiconductor stripes 151 and the overlying data lines 171and the overlying drain electrodes 175 thereon and reduce the contactresistance therebetween. The semiconductor stripes 151 have almost thesame planar shapes as the data lines 171 and the drain electrodes 175 aswell as the underlying ohmic contacts 161 and 165. However, theprojections 154 of the semiconductor stripes 151 include a plurality ofexposed portions, which are not covered with the data lines 171 and thedrain electrodes 175, such as portions located between the sourceelectrodes 173 and the drain electrodes 175.

A passivation layer 180 is formed on the data lines 171, the drainelectrodes 175, and exposed portions of the semiconductor stripes 151,which are not covered with the data lines 171 and the drain electrodes175. The passivation layer 180 is preferably made of photosensitiveorganic material having a good flatness characteristic, low dielectricinsulating material such as a-Si:C:O and a-Si:O:F formed by plasmaenhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), or inorganic material suchas silicon nitride and silicon oxide.

The passivation layer 180 has a plurality of contact holes 182 and 185exposing the end portions 179 of the data lines 171 and the drainelectrodes 175, respectively. The passivation layer 180 and the gateinsulating layer 140 have a plurality of contact holes 181 exposing theend portions 129 of the gate lines 121. Furthermore, the passivationlayer 180 has a plurality of openings 189 exposing the exposed portionsof the projections 154 of the semiconductor stripes 151 in the TFTs andthe exposed portions of the lower films 173 p and 175 p disposed aroundthe exposed portions of the projections 154.

The contact holes 181, 182 and 185 expose the lower films 129 p, 179 pand 175 p. The edges of the upper films 129 q, 179 q and 175 q disposedon the lower films 129 p, 179 p and 175 p substantially coincide withboundaries of the contact holes 181, 182 and 185 and the openings 189.In addition, the contact holes 181 expose edges of the end portions 129of the gate lines 121 and some portions of the substrate 110, and thecontact holes 182/185 expose edges of the end portions 179 of the datalines 171/the drain electrodes 175 and some portions of the gateinsulating layer 140.

A plurality of pixel electrodes 190, a plurality of redundant sourceelectrodes 193 and redundant drain electrodes 195, and a plurality ofcontact assistants 81 and 82, which are preferably made of IZO, areformed on the passivation layer 180.

The pixel electrodes 190 are physically and electrically connected tothe drain electrodes 175 through the contact holes 185 such that thepixel electrodes 190 receive the data voltages from the drain electrodes175. The pixel electrodes 190 fully cover the exposed portions of thedrain electrodes 175.

The pixel electrodes 190 supplied with the data voltages generateelectric fields in cooperation with a common electrode (not shown) onanother panel (not shown), which reorient liquid crystal molecules in aliquid crystal layer (not shown) disposed therebetween.

A pixel electrode 190 and a common electrode form a liquid crystalcapacitor, which stores applied voltages after turn-off of the TFT. Anadditional capacitor called a “storage capacitor,” which is connected inparallel to the liquid crystal capacitor, may be provided for enhancingthe voltage storing capacity. The storage capacitors are implemented byoverlapping the pixel electrodes 190 with the gate lines 121 adjacentthereto (called “previous gate lines”) or with separately providedstorage electrodes (not shown). The capacitances of the storagecapacitors, i.e., the storage capacitances are increased by increasingoverlapping areas or by providing conductors, which are connected to thepixel electrodes 190 and overlap the gate lines 121 or the storageelectrodes, under the pixel electrodes 190 for decreasing the distancebetween the terminals.

The pixel electrodes 190 may overlap the gate lines 121 and the datalines 171 to increase aperture ratio.

The redundant source electrodes 193 and the redundant drain electrodes195 are disposed on the source and the drain electrodes 173 and 175,respectively and they contact the exposed portions of the lower films173 p and 175 p of the source and the drain electrodes 173 and 175through the openings 189. The redundant electrodes 193 and 195 cover theexposed portions of the lower films 173 p and 175 p of the source andthe drain electrodes 173 and 175 in the openings 189 and they have inneredges that face each other and coincide with the edges of the lowerfilms 173 p and 175 p.

The contact assistants 81/82 are connected to the exposed expansions129/179 of the gate lines 121/the data lines 171 through the contactholes 181/182 and the contact holes 81 and 82 fully cover the exposedexpansions 129 and 179. The contact assistants 81 and 82 protect theexposed portions 129 and 179 and complement the adhesion between theexposed portions 129 and 179 and external devices.

In the meantime, the exposure of the edges of the lower films 129 p, 179p and 175 p of the end portions 129 of the gate lines 121, the endportions 179 of the data lines 171, and the expanded end portions of thedrain electrodes 175 through the contact holes 181, 182 and 185 preventsthe disconnection of the contact assistants 81 and 82 and the pixelelectrodes 190 at the contact holes 181, 182 and 185. For example,portions of the pixel electrodes 190 near an edge of the contact hole185 disposed on the lower film 175 p may be disconnected due to theundercut of the upper film 175 q at the edge of the contact hole 185.The undercut means that a portion of the upper film 175 q under thepassivation layer 180 at the edge of the contact hole 185 is removed toplace the boundary of the upper film 175 q under the passivation layer180 such that the sidewall of the contact hole 185 has a hole or adepression as shown in FIG. 2A. However, the other edge of the contacthole 185 disposed directly on the gate insulating layer 140 does nothave such undercut. Accordingly, the pixel electrodes 190 contact thedrain electrodes 175 with a smooth profile, thereby securing thereliable contact therebetween.

A plurality of columnar spacers 320 preferably made of photosensitiveorganic material stand on the exposed portions of the semiconductorstripes 151 and on the passivation layer 180. The spacers 320 sustain agap between the TFT array panel and the common electrode panel andprotect the exposed portions of the semiconductor stripes 151. Thespacers 320 may include a silicon nitride film.

The pixel electrodes 190 may be made of ITO or transparent conductivepolymer. For a reflective LCD, the pixel electrodes 190 are made ofopaque reflective metal. In these cases, the contact assistants 81 and82 may be made of material such as ITO or IZO different from the pixelelectrodes 190.

A method of manufacturing the TFT array panel shown in FIGS. 1, 2A and2B according to an embodiment of the present invention will be nowdescribed in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 12B as well as FIGS. 1,2A and 2B.

FIG. 3 is a layout view of a TFT array panel shown in FIGS. 1, 2A and 2Bin the first step of a manufacturing method thereof according to anembodiment of the present invention; FIGS. 4A and 4B are sectional viewsof the TFT array panel shown in FIG. 3 taken along the lines IVa-IVa′and IVb-IVb′, respectively; FIG. 5 is a layout view of the TFT arraypanel in the step following the step shown in FIGS. 3-4B; FIGS. 6A and6B are sectional views of the TFT array panel shown in FIG. 5 takenalong the lines VIa-VIa′ and VIb-VIb′, respectively; FIG. 7 is a layoutview of the TFT array panel in the step following the step shown inFIGS. 5-6B; FIGS. 8A and 8B are sectional views of the TFT array panelshown in FIG. 7 taken along the lines VIIIa-VIIIa′ and VIIIb-VIIIb′,respectively; FIGS. 9A and 9B are sectional views of the TFT array panelshown in FIG. 7 taken along the lines VIIIa-VIIIa′ and VIIIb-VIIIb′,respectively, and illustrate the step following the step shown in FIGS.8A and 8B; FIG. 10 is a layout view of the TFT array panel in the stepfollowing the step shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B; FIGS. 11A and 11B aresectional views of the TFT array panel shown in FIG. 10 taken along thelines XIa-XIa′ and XIb-XIb′, respectively; and FIGS. 12A and 12B aresectional views of the TFT array panel shown in FIG. 10 taken along thelines XIa-XIa′ and XIb-XIb′, respectively, and illustrate the stepfollowing the step shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B.

Referring to FIGS. 3-4B, a plurality of gate lines 121 including aplurality of gate electrodes 124 are formed on an insulating substrate110 such as transparent glass. The gate lines 121 include two conductivefilms, a lower conductive film preferably made of Cr and having athickness of about 500 Å and an upper conductive film preferably made ofAl and having a thickness of about 1,000-3,000 Å, preferably about 2,500Å.

Referring to FIGS. 5-6B, a gate insulating layer 140, an intrinsic a-Silayer, an extrinsic a-Si layer, and a conductive layer including a lowerconductive film and an upper conductive film are deposited in sequenceby CVD and sputtering and the conductive layer, the extrinsic a-Silayer, and the intrinsic a-Si layer are photo-etched to form a pluralityof conductors 174 including upper and lower conductors 174 q and 174 p,a plurality of extrinsic semiconductor stripes 164, and a plurality ofintrinsic semiconductor stripes 151 including a plurality of projections154 on the gate insulating layer 140.

The gate insulating layer 140 is preferably made of silicon nitride withthickness of about 2,000 Å to about 5,000 Å, and the depositiontemperature is preferably in a range of about 250-500° C. The intrinsica-Si layer and the extrinsic a-Si layer have thickness of about 500-600Å. The lower conductive film preferably made of Cr and having athickness of about 500 Å and the upper conductive film preferably madeof Al and having a thickness of about 1,000 Å, preferably about 2,500 Å.A sputtering target for the upper conductive film is preferably Al orAl—Nd containing about 2 atomic % of Nd and a sputtering temperature isabout 150° C.

Referring to FIGS. 7-9B, a passivation layer 180 preferably having athickness larger than about 3,000 Å is deposited and a photoresist 40 isformed. The passivation layer 180 and the gate insulating layer 140 areetched using the photoresist 40 as an etch mask to form a plurality ofcontact holes 181, 182 and 185 and a plurality of openings 189.

In detail, the photoresist 40 initially has a position dependentthickness such that portions (not shown) on the contact holes 182 and185 and the openings 189 have smaller thickness than other portions, andthere is substantially no photoresist on the contact holes 181. Portionsof the passivation layer 180 and the gate insulating layer 140, whichare not covered with the photoresist 40, are removed to form the contactholes 181 exposing the upper film 129 q of the end portions 129 of thegate lines 121 and the upper conductors 174 q. At this time, theportions of the photoresist 40 having the smaller thickness preventportions of the gate insulating layer 140 disposed in the contact holes182 and 185 and the openings 189 from being removed so that the portionsof the gate insulating layer 140 near the edges of the conductors 174may not be overcut. Thereafter, portions of the photoresist 40 on thecontact holes 182, 185 and the openings 189 are removed to exposeunderlying portions of the passivation layer 180 and the exposedportions of the passivation layer 180 are removed to form the contactholes 182, 185 and the openings 189 as shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. Afteror before removing the photoresist 40, the exposed portions of the upperconductors 174 q and the upper film 129 q are removed to expose thelower conductors 174 p and the lower film 129 p and to complete theupper films 171 q and 175 q of the end portions 179 and the drainelectrodes 175 as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B. The etch condition foretching the upper conductors 174 q and the upper film 129 q isdetermined so that the lower conductors 174 p and the lower film 129 pmay not be etched. At this time, the undercut of the upper conductors174 q and the upper film 129 q may be formed as shown in FIGS. 9A and9B.

Referring to FIGS. 10-11B, an IZO layer having a thickness of about400-500 Å is sputtered and photo-etched to form a plurality of pixelelectrodes 190, a plurality of redundant source electrodes 193 andredundant drain electrodes 195, and a plurality of contact assistants 81and 82. An example of commercially available sputtering target for IZOis IDIXO (indium x-metal oxide) produced by Idemitsu in Japan. Thesputtering target may include In₂O₃ and ZnO and the content of Zn amongIn and Zn preferably ranges about 15-20 atomic %. In addition, thesputtering temperature for Zn is preferably lower than about 250° C. andIZO can be etched by oxalic acid.

The contact assistants 81 and 82, the redundant electrodes 193 and 195,and the pixel electrodes 190 cover the exposed portions of the lowerconductors 129 p exposed through the contact holes 181, the exposedportions of the lower conductors 174 p exposed through the contact holes182, the exposed portions of the gate insulating layer 140 exposedthrough the contact holes 182 and 185 and the openings 189, and some ofthe exposed portions of the lower conductors 174 p exposed through theopenings 189. However, the other of the exposed portions of the lowerconductors 174 p exposed through the contact holes 189 are not coveredyet. The exposed portions of the lower conductors 174 p are removed byblanket etch to expose the extrinsic semiconductor stripes 164 and tocomplete the lower films 171 p and 175 p of the data lines 171 and thedrain electrodes 175. The IZO layer and the exposed portions of thelower conductors 174 p are simultaneously removable by using a Cretchant. The redundant electrodes 193 and 195 facilitate the control ofthe length and the width of TFTs.

Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, the exposed portions of the extrinsicsemiconductor stripes 164, which are not covered with the data lines 171and the drain electrodes 175, are removed by blanket etch to complete aplurality of ohmic contact stripes 161 including a plurality ofprojections 163 and a plurality of ohmic contact islands 165 and toexpose portions of the intrinsic semiconductor stripes 151.

Oxygen plasma treatment may follow thereafter in order to stabilize theexposed surfaces of the semiconductor stripes 151.

Finally, a plurality of columnar spacers 320 preferably made ofinorganic insulator such as silicon nitride and silicon oxide are formedon the exposed portions of the semiconductor stripes 151 as shown inFIGS. 1-2B. The columnar spacers 320 may be made of photosensitivematerial and this can simplify the process since the thickness of thephotosensitive film can be adjusted by controlling rotational speed of aspin coating device.

The above-describe method separates the source electrodes 173 and thedrain electrodes 175 using the passivation layer 180, the redundantelectrodes 193 and 195, the contact assistants 81 and 82, and the pixelelectrodes 190, thereby reducing the number of photolithography steps.Accordingly, the manufacturing method is simplified to reduce theproduction cost and the productivity.

In addition, the width and the length of the channels of the TFTs can beeasily controlled by using the redundant electrodes 193 and 195.Furthermore, the embodiments prevent the disconnection of the contactassistants 81 and 82 and the pixel electrodes 190 by making the contactholes 181, 182 and 185 expose edges of the gate lines 121, the datalines 171, and the drain electrodes 175. Moreover, the slit maskprevents the portions of the gate insulating layer 140 from beingremoved in the contact holes 182 and 185 and the openings 189, therebyprevent the disconnection due to the under of the gate insulating layer.

While the present invention has been described in detail with referenceto the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will appreciatethat various modifications and substitutions can be made thereto withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the present invention as setforth in the appended claims.

1. A method of manufacturing a thin film transistor array panel, themethod comprising: forming a gate line on a substrate; depositing a gateinsulating layer and a semiconductor layer in sequence on the gate line;depositing a lower conductive film and an upper conductive film on thesemiconductor layer; photo-etching the upper conductive film, the lowerconductive film, and the semiconductor layer; depositing a passivationlayer; photo-etching the passivation layer to expose first and secondportions of the upper conductive film; removing the first and the secondportions of the upper conductive film to expose first and secondportions of the lower conductive film; forming a pixel electrode and apair of redundant electrodes on the first and the second portions of thelower conductive film, respectively, the redundant electrodes exposing apart of the second portion of the lower conductive film; removing theexposed part of the second portion of the lower conductive film toexpose a portion of the semiconductor layer; and forming a columnarspacer on the exposed portion of the semiconductor layer.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the photo-etching of the passivation layercomprises: exposing the first portion of the upper conductive film and aportion of the gate insulating layer adjacent to the first portion. 3.The method of claim 2, wherein the exposed portion of the gateinsulating layer is covered with the pixel electrode along with thefirst portion of the lower conductive film.
 4. The method of claim 3,wherein the photo-etching of the passivation layer further comprises:exposing a third portion of the upper conductive film.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the removal of the first and the second portions of theupper conductive film comprises: removing the third portion of the upperconductive film to expose a third portion of the lower conductive film.6. The method of claim 5, wherein the gate line comprises a lower filmand an upper film.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the photo-etchingof the passivation layer further comprises: etching the gate insulatinglayer to expose a portion of the upper film of the gate line.
 8. Themethod of claim 7, wherein the removal of the first and the secondportions of the upper conductive film comprises: removing the exposedportion of the upper film of the gate line to expose a portion of thelower film of the gate line.
 9. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising: forming a contact assistant on the third portion of thelower conductive film and the exposed portion of the lower film of thegate line.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the upper film of the gateline comprises the same material as the upper conductive film.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the upper film of the gate line and theupper conductive film comprises Cr and the lower film of the gate lineand the lower conductive film comprises Al or Al-Nd alloy.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the pixel electrode and the redundantelectrodes comprise IZO.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein theformation of a pixel electrode and a pair of redundant electrodes andthe removal of the exposed part of the second portion of the lowerconductive film are simultaneously performed.
 14. The method of claim12, wherein the formation of a pixel electrode and a pair of redundantelectrodes and the removal of the exposed part of the second portion ofthe lower conductive film are performed under the same etch condition.15. The method of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises anintrinsic film and an extrinsic film, and the method further comprises:removing the exposed portion of the extrinsic film after removing thesecond portion of the lower conductive film.